February 9, 2010 (Vancouver, BC) – Just hours before the Olympic torch is lit, Stephen Lewis (Chair of the Board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation), Johann Olav Koss, (President and CEO of Right To Play), Wilfried Lemke (Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace), and Benjamin Nzobonankira (Right To Play practitioner and former child refugee) will come together to discuss How Sport Can Contribute to Positive Social Change. Taking place at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and moderated by Professor Stephen Toope (12th President and Vice-Chancellor of UBC), this high-level dialogue will provide inspiring insights into the power of sport to highlight how it can be harnessed to contribute to global peace and development.

The day of the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games marks an opportune time to reflect on the values of Olympism and about what can be done to uphold sport as a means to promote respect, fair play, inclusion, and cooperation. This is particularly important for Canadians at a time when the Games will be hosted right here at home.

Honourable Ida Chong, B.C.’s Minister of Healthy Living and Sport, will open the event by providing a welcoming address.

“While the Olympic Games are an elite-level exhibition of sports, the very idea they represent has its beginnings rooted at the community level. Here in B.C., we have worked hard to leverage the culture of healthy living around the Games in order to promote the use of sport and play to improve the health and quality of life for British Columbians.” – Honourable Ida Chong

Special guest speakers will reflect on their own personal experiences with sport and will also speak to its ability to contribute to development and peace goals.

Stephen Lewis will discuss how sport can enhance capacity development and community-building. As the former UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa, his perspective will provide valuable insight on the use of sport to promote health and prevent disease.

Johann Olav Koss will share his life story, including what inspired him to become an Olympian and what prompted him to found Right To Play, the international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play to improve health, develop life skills and foster peace among children in the most disadvantaged regions of the world.

Benjamin Nzobonankira will share how sport changed his life as a Burundian refugee and helped to contribute to peace-building efforts in his community.

“If it wasn’t for sport, we could not have different ethnic groups, in my community, playing together and trying to resolve their differences. Through sport, they have become committed to working together toward the objectives of reconciliation and for the greater development of the country.’ – Benjamin Nzobonankira

Olympic Athletes – Silken Laumann, Ben Rutledge, Beckie Scott, Adam Kreek, Anna Rice and Nikki Stone will bring the event to an inspirational close. Known for their leadership and contributions to social change, they will present a 2010 Call to Action, calling upon Canadians to be champions, promote the best values of sport, create opportunities for sport and play, be inclusive, and give back.

With the event just days away, Wilfried Lemke shares his support for the themes that he and the other speakers will address, particularly as they pertain to the mandate of the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace.

“On the occasion of the 2010 Winter Games, the world has come together to not only enjoy the spectacle but also to witness the power of sport. Universally popular, sport is a unique tool that the United Nations uses as part of its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. However, sport’s potential for positive social change rests in the profound experiences of those who lead and participate in sport and play activities. While international organizations and policies can support the framework for development, improving the quality of people’s lives and changing people’s attitudes happens one person at a time. It is for this reason that I am pleased to support the 2010 Call to Action that shines a light on the crucial role of individuals to support development and peace efforts through sport and play.” – Wilfried Lemke

As a global company invested in people’s welfare and committed to the fight against HIV and AIDS, and as the event sponsor, MERCK is also lending its support to the 2010 Call to Action, indicating they believe it will make “an important contribution to the health and well-being of people around the world.”